Monsters in our midst
by X.Devils-Sweetheart.X
Summary: "We all want to look into a killers eyes and see something that yells they're a killer... the scary thing is, they look like normal people," After an especially hard case Rossi and Hotch talk. Rossi and Hotch friendship.


He'd almost lost him again. His son, Jack, the last shattered piece of his once perfect family. As Hotch sat down at his desk his face contorted with anger and shame. It was his job to find these people, to put them in jail, and to protect people. How could he protect people if he couldn't even protect his own family? His wife had been murdered, in order to save their son, because of him. And now his son had almost been taken from him again, because he was too blind to see the killer within his son's kindergarten.

He didn't even hear Rossi come in before it was too late to tell him to go away. The older agent was the only one of the team to dare enter the unit chief's office. Maybe it was because he was the only one that wasn't afraid of Hotch; or because as much as Hotch would deny it, he needed to talk to somebody.

"It won't do you any good stewing in your office, Aaron," Rossi commented taking a seat opposite Hotch. "Go home, be with Jack. He needs you."

Hotch's jaw clenched before he answered, "Jessica has him for tonight, and I think today highlighted how much better off he'd be if I were a normal father, with a normal job. One that caught leaks in a houses' pluming, rather than the monsters of our society."

"Aaron, we both know that's not true-" Rossi started.

"It is David," Hotch said, standing up from his chair with frightening agility. "I should have seen it, a good father would have," he sighed moving towards the window. The sunset would have seemed beautiful to some people, but to him – a monster hunter – it wasn't. He knew what lurked in the night; murders, rapists and psychopaths. The sad thing was that most didn't even have the manners to wait until night to strike.

"No one saw it coming Aaron, he was a good teacher. No one could have predicted that he'd kill them." Rossi explained, he remained sitting, but kept a close eye on the other man in the room. "And we caught him, before he got to Jack. We done our jobs, we couldn't have done anything else."

Hotch turned back to look at him. His hazel eyes had guilt built up in them; so much so that Rossi was surprised he hadn't broken down already. "David, we deal with people like him almost daily, it's our jobs. It's my job. I should have been able to see the warning signs. I should have been able to see the killer within him... even if the other parents couldn't. I met him, David. I fucking met him and I thought he was a good guy." Hotch's steely gaze left Rossi to look out of the window again. "If I could be that wrong with Jack's teacher, then how many Unsubs could I have been wrong with in the past? How many innocent people could have been put behind bars, because of me, because I was wrong?"

Rossi sighed deeply, "It's only a downward spiral when you start thinking like that Aaron, and you know you're a brilliant profiler – I'd go as far as to say that you're one of the best. But telling you that won't make you feel better – now I'm a good enough profiler to know that." He said casting a look to the window in which Hotch stood. The perfect silhouette of a broken man. "Aaron, you can't tell who's a killer by just looking at them; you know it's not that simple."

Hotch swallowed. He held back the tears; even if his son wasn't here, he had to be strong. He wasn't weak like his father had told him regularly. "It's our jobs. We should be able to. I should be able to."

Rossi nodded to himself. "We all want to look into a killer's eyes and see something different. We want to see something that separates them from us. Something that gives them away and somehow displays the evil thoughts that circulate in their minds – if only to offer a piece of mind to ourselves." He offered, not looking away from the other agent. "We want to look at them and see some sort of physical sign that they could kill so easily and mercilessly. And the most frightening thing of all is not what they done or how they done it or even why, it's that they don't look any different. There's no give-away sign that they could commit such heinous crimes. They're just like everyone else. If they weren't, and if there was some sort of physical give-away to them being cold blooded killers, then our job would be a lot simpler." Rossi paused for breath, as Hotch turned his head slightly, as if to try and hear Rossi better. "But that's not how it works, it never has been, and probably never will be. We just have to keep fighting them as they come. We have to think about all those we've saved instead of all those we've lost. This time we saved Jack, before it was too late, and you can't forget that Aaron. That because of the work we done in catching him, that you're son is still alive." He continued. "You saved him Aaron, even if you don't think you did."

Hotch nodded. "Thanks, Dave,"

Rossi shrugged off his thanks, as he rose from the chair that he'd been sitting in. He glanced to his watch, "If you hurry then I'm sure you'll get to Jessica's in time to read your son a bedtime story. You both need it."

Hotch nodded once more, but made no effort to move.

"Well I'll be off then." Rossi added, heading towards the door. His hand paused on the handle for a moment, "I meant what I said Aaron, don't beat yourself up over this. You are one of the best profilers I know. It'd be a shame to see you go the way Gideon did." He said, and then he was gone.

Hotch sighed as he turned to look back at his desk, the case files seemed to call to him. Enticing him to stay, to save more people, to ensure fewer families were torn apart. But then something else caught his eye. His wife and son; in the small golden frame. He looked to the case files once more; his guilt for them growing by the second.

This time, what was left of his family took priority. He glanced to his watch as he grabbed his coat. He'd have to hurry.

* * *

><p><strong>Just one thing here I'd like to add before all you Gideon fans <span>KILL<span> me. I am a massive fan of Gideon, and I mean massive. (I cried so much when he left.) So don't misunderstand me with what Rossi said, it was just a term. I would never mean to offend Gideon - the reference just seemed to flow with what was going on. :)**


End file.
